I'm a Film Commissioner, Long Island International Film Expo Director, novelist, freelancer, ghost writer, casting director and producer. I don't know what lies ahead, but I'm sure it will be fun! Take my hand; join me on my journey.
"With regard to jobs and locations postings; Although I've worked with many of these people/companies before - please be advised that you contact them at your own risk and need to vet them for yourself. Caveat Emptor."

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

1)For a feature film, they’re looking for a courthouse and school house to cheat for Portland, Oregon. Should be somewhat modern, light. If you have any suggestions, please e-maildebfilm@aol.comand reference True Story.

2)A Warner Brothers feature film is looking for an upper class neighborhood to simulate Washington DC. Early March. If you have any referrals, please e-mail debfilm@aol.com and reference Hostage.

3) Historical movie theatre needed for indie feature film. He already knows about the Bellmore Movies. If you have any suggestions, please e-mail debfilm@aol.com and reference Bird Man.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Hello everyone. This year’s Long Island International Film
Expo (LIIFE) will be held from July 18 - 25, 2013. (Please note that this is a date change) AND, we are open for film
submissions now. Take advantage of the
deeply discounted earlybird prices AND we now offer student, filmmakers
connection AND LIIFE Alumni discounts!
Apply at www.LongIslandFilm.com.

We’re very excited that LIIFE Alumnus, Julian Adams, will be
releasing his film, Phantom, (starring Ed Harris and David Duchovny) on March
1, 2013 – hope you’ll support this friend of LIIFE!

If you’re interested in finding out
up-to-the-minute information on film jobs that I hear about (both cast and
crew) or locations needed for film/tv/commercials, plus other film related
information (or my own personal musings), check www.debramarkowitz.blogspot.com You can also sign up for our twitter account
below, and I will tweet whenever I have anything film-related of interest. Let’s
keep the work here!! If you are a
filmmaker/casting person who knows of any positions, I can post those for you
as well. Please e-mail me details: Union or
nonUnion, personnel needed, whether it’s a paid position, when, where and what. Thank you.

If you had a film in the Long Island International Film
Expo and have received a distribution deal (DVD, theatrical, and/or
television), please send us a blurb and a link, and we’ll promote it for you on
the Long Island International Film Expo
facebook site.

If you have a home in NassauCounty and would like to
list it as a possible location for film/tv/commercial production, please
contactdebfilm@aol.com or call 516
571-3168.

If
you have a business, service, or headshot you would like to bring to the
attention of the dedicated audience that visits LongIslandFilm.com – consider
placing a banner ad. They are quite
reasonable. You will have your ad shown
in random rotation for an entire year.
Small banner ads are $150 – (120 x 60 pixels). Large banner ads are $300 (468 x 60
pixels). If interested, please e-mail your
banner ad in the appropriate amount of pixels to debfilm@aol.com. Please include the URL you would like your ad
to be connected to. You can pay by check
to LIFTF, or by PalPay under “The Foundation” and then “Donations.” Just let us know when you send in your banner
ad.

We
also have journal ad space available in our 2013 LIIFE Journal – please e-mail debfim@aol.com for a journal ad form.

You
can now pay for your membership to the Filmmakers Connection through PayPal on
the www.LongIslandFilm.com
website. Please be sure to include your
name, address, phone #, e-mail address, which area of the film industry you are
involved in (ex. Writer/director/producer) and whether or not you are already
getting this newsletter by e-mail. Cost
is $30 per year fee. If you are a
student with current ID, it is $15 to join.)

If you would like to become a member (or renew your membership) of
the Filmmakers Connection, please send $30,
made out to the LIFTF to the Long Island Film/TV Foundation, c/o
Bellmore Movies, 222 Pettit Avenue, Side Entrance, Bellmore, NY 11710.
You may also pay at the meetings.
The $30 membership fee entitles you to attend the Filmmakers Connection
meetings for free. It also entitles you
to discounts on Foundation functions such as the Long Island International Film
Expo, the Awards Ceremony party, all mailings and newsletters, and (if all
other criteria is met) a chance at winning the $1,000/$500 Finishing Fund
Grant. (When you send in your $30, please be sure to include your name,
address, phone number, e-mail address and how you are involved with the film
industry, i.e. director, producer, voice overs, etc.) and whether you are
already getting this newsletter by e-mail.
If you are a student with
appropriate college/high school ID, the cost is $15 to join for the year. If you do not join, you can still attend
meetings for free.

Please
be advised that the Foundation/Film Commissions/Film Offices are not
responsible for speaker cancellations.
Every effort will be taken to insure a speaker’s availability on the
date mentioned. In case of a
cancellation, every effort will be made to book an alternate speaker.

For information on the Long Island Film/TV Foundation contact
Robert Hansen at 516 707-2237. For
information about the Long Island International Film Expo, please contact Debra
Markowitz at 516 571-3168.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Hope your holidays we're wonderful! We are looking for the following locations:

1)For an indie feature, horror film, they are in need of an old house from 1800's to 1900's, preferably one that is vacant or the homeowner is not staying there. They would like to keep their equipment there and, if possible, have 4 crew members stay overnight in the house. This low-budget indie film stars Eric Roberts, Cathy Moriarty, Tom Pelphrey and Jim McCaffrey.

They would need the house for at least 10 days and they are willing to rent a vacant place for the entire month.This is a Ghost story and the family in the story is moving into a new home that is haunted. They need it for Feb 4th, crew is no more than 20 and cast in house will be up to 2 to 5 people but at different times. They can pay around $500 to $750 per day or a flat month rental fee for a vacant house. They would need house for 5 days from 8 am to 8 pm. And 4 days from 4pm to 11 pm.And the family is moving in so the less furniture the better. If you have any referrals, please e-mail debfilm@aol.com and reference Sebastian.

2) For a major feature film, beginning in February and for two months after, they need:

- concrete hard service approximately 1000' long x 500' wide

- ability to poor concrete to build up terrain for the stunt (all to be removed and restored) upon completion of filming.

- ability to make snow

- ability to place approximately 300 shipping containers around the perimeter of the space to create a "green screen"

If you have any suggestions, please e-mail debfilm@aol.com and reference, Ninja.

3) For another (large) nameless feature, they’re looking for the following locations (and they’ve requested pictures):

The basic feel of all these environments is working class, a city, people and places that saw better days 20 years ago, not like really bad, but a bit on the older, grittier side.

a)SCHOOL ST. FRANCIS DE SALES

Basically – need everything

“PACKS OF STUDENTS mosey towards the campus. A classic

brick and stone Catholic School.”

For the EXTERIORS, a bunch of scenes are set with kids coming and going, cars in parking lot, cars pulling up out front – so it should have a bit of room, back a bit from the street, a reasonably workable space – also has to have a TRACK

THE TRACK – RELAY RACES

22 INT. - HALLWAY –

“St. Francis de Sales Catholic School is just like any

other middle school. Diverse. Modern. Noisy.” (don’t make too much of the word “modern” --

GYMNASIUM – DAY

INT. LOCKER ROOM

Classrooms, Principals office, bathrooms, halls, computer lab

Auditorium with stage

b) EXT. SANTA ANITA RACE TRACK – everything

A bit on the seedy side horse track. “Decrepit cars litter the lot.” Need all locations – track, horse stalls, the whole thing

Yonkers Raceway has trotters, script isn’t trotters but we should contact them anyway I think it could work and they are film friendly with Natascha.

c) INT. MISSION HILLS HOSPITAL – everything, all over the hospital, but there’s nothing special about it’s look – so any hospital with full access to nurse’s station, rooms, exam rooms, birth/operating room, all OBGYN examining room

d)EXT. SUNNYSIDE RESIDENCE FOR THE ELDERLY-

NOTE this is “An expensive, well-kept convalescent center.”

And it has nice grounds with a duck pond – “sitting on a bench in front of a gorgeous pond,cluttered with ducks”

f)There are two houses, next door to one another, that are in a lot of scenes. The neighborhood should be older, not wealthy, on the working class (Roseanne, Archie Bunker) side – there is a driveway between them

g)VIN’S HOUSE “Hits the picketfence on the neighbor’s border. Crash. It topples. Hits his own mailbox on the other side.”

INTERIOR “Vin puts his feet up on a weathered coffee table,

watching TV from his paisley pattered couch. The decor

is feminine inspired, twenty years ago.”

h)BAR The Buck – “local dive bar. SMOKERS outside litter the sidewalk. The windows are painted with “Happy New Year” greetings. Old neon. Older PATRONS. Vin sits at the bar next to

LINDA and GUS, a weathered married couple in their late

60s. The hanging TV set plays New Year’s Eve coverage from around the country”

Sunday, January 6, 2013

So you want to get your start in the movies, and where do you begin? You can begin as an extra in a SAG/NonSAG short indie film with an award winning cast and crew!

No pay, but a chance to be on a movie set. Everyone has to start somewhere. Shooting on Long Island.

If you are interested, please e-mail castingkarma212@gmail.com, and send a photo or headshot, and resume (if you have) or just your contact info. This will be a courtroom scene, so appropriate attire for a courtroom is necessary.

Naked in the Rain

About Me

Debra Markowitz is the Director of the Nassau County Film Office. In this capacity, Ms. Markowitz presides over the Nassau County Film Commission, now known as the Nassau County Film Advisory Board, and chairs as its Executive Director.
Ms. Markowitz also serves as Vice President of the Long Island Film/TV Foundation, Long Island’s most established and largest not-for-profit agency dedicated to the support and promotion of independent filmmaking. She also helped found the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE).
Debra Markowitz is also a freelance writer and novelist. The third book in her trilogy (following Naked in the Rain and Sarah and Caleb), Karmic Wind is set for release in 2013. For a complete list of her work, please visit her site, www.debramarkowitz.com.
An enthusiastic fellow filmmaker, Ms. Markowitz has acted as Casting Director, consultant, writer and producer on movie, television and commercial projects individually and with CastingKarma.
Debra Markowitz is also an avid yoga practitioner.